Bose - QuietComfort 45 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-the-Ear Headphones - White Smoke

So I bought these headphones a couple weeks ago in your Mohegan lake store in N. Y. These particular headphones weren't as good as my last set because one of the speakers startled to rattle on one side due to the subwoofer going out. I called Bose and they said it would be quicker going to the store to exchange them, but when I went back there they were out of stock of the "smoky white" color I wanted to exchange them for. So I called Bose and they haven't called me back. I put my number in the que but they have yet to call. Also, I notice when you take off the earpads to get to the serial number, they are hard to put back on. My last ART I bought from there a couple yrs back didn't have this issue. So between the store and Bose, I'd like to get this issue resolved. Otherwise, I would of given it 5 stars...

I bought the Bose QC45 to use on airplanes and while reading books in coffee shops. They are fairly light, comfortable and will cancel out 80-90% of the noise in my experience. Music listening is crisp especially since Bose just added an equalizer on their Mobile App. I tried the Sony brands as well. Bose and Sony were both very close in sound quality. The Sony seemed to have more bells and whistles (but I was was more interested in simplicity of operation and ergonomics). The tiebreaker for me was the physical feel and build quality which pushed me towards the Bose. Totally pleased with my purchase.

Giving these headphones a 2/5. For Bose headphone I am a bit disappointed. They feel and sound just like Beats. With the price of over $300 I would just go with beats which battery is up to 40+ Hours. Beats were $167 as for these were over $300. I was expecting something more wow but I am not feeling it.

I love a good pair of headphones, so I was super excited to get the Bose QuietComfort 45. My spouse asked me when does a person have enough headphones… I mean, airpods II, Powerbeats pro, Addidas RPT -01, Beats Studio, Rocat gaming headphones ect… my answer… NEVER! They all have their own niche and job in my world and I use them all! But… the Bose 45’s are my new crown jewel!!! Just AMAZING! First off, when I got the box, I thought there might be a mistake in the order. The box seemed too small for a full size flag ship over the ear headphone to fit into such a small box. I opened the box and I saw the super sleek and stylish case. The case is quality all the way around. The case is rectangular which is the perfect shape that fits into a backpack, luggage, travel bag or desk drawer nicely (unlike the egg case of others…I’m looking at you Beats). Functionality is very important to me as the 45’s will be my new go to for work and travel, so it needs to be functional and look sleek and professional and Bose nailed it. I unzipped the case and I actually said, “wow”. I got the black set and they look so sleek and sexy in the case…a perfect fit with an extra foam piece that supports them as they lay inside and keeps them from moving around. The silver “Bose” logo on the cups are classy and understated but there is no mistaking that these are a pair of Bose. I was also impressed with how lightweight they are as I put them on. These are the most comfortable over the ear headphones I have ever worn hands down. They sit securely and snug but don’t feel tight. I really didn’t feel any pressure anywhere but also did not feel like they would fall off. The material on the cups and headband are premium, super soft and very very comfortable. I downloaded the app and began to sync the headphones to my iPhone but the headphones were dead! Not to worry. I googled how long it takes to charge the 45’s and read that a 15 minute charge gives me 3 hours! That’s really an awesome feature. Rapid USB C charging is awesome and I’m glad they went that way with these. After 10 minutes I had plenty of juice to get me going. The headphones synced quickly and I played around with the app. The app is really strait forward and basic…clean. There is no EQ settings which I’m not entirely sure how I fell about that. I have other headphones that allow for that but I never mess with it. When it comes down to it. I reach for the headphones and put them on and go! I’m there for what the head phones bring me…music, podcasts movies. I’m not there to piddle with the headphones internal sound profiles. Anyway, the things the app gives you is some “tips” that tell you about the buttons, it lets you toggle the “aware” mode and noise cancelling ect. All the things you can do with the app you can also do on the headphones them selves without the app. And the more time I spend with these amazing headphones the more I actually like that the functions are onboard with the headphones and not tied to the app only. The buttons are tactile, I can feel when I am on the center button that summons siri and the volume up and down. The buttons are super fast and responsive. I also like that I can pair it to my phone and laptop simultaneously!! Now I picked my first song to listen to… I am embarrassed to say… Taylor Swift – Cardigan (I just discovered this song) I have listened to this on all my headphones and Bose Quietcomfort 45’s blew me away. So balanced with the highs and midtones and the lowes. I heard backing tracks in the song that I didn’t notice before… Then something dawned on me…I am only hearing the music…nothing else ( I am in a busy office environment). It was like being in the studio with Swift. I mean it really was peaceful. Just me and the music and nothing else. I have listened to other noise cancelling (and I am not an audiophile to be sure) but I do know my way around headphones and I know what I was experiencing. Bose really has the noise cancelling locked in and it is world class. I took the phones off and on a few times and was truly amazed how silence descended on me and I was transported to the music. Just Wonderful. I wanted to push the bass a bit and went with Polo G’s Rapstar and Nipsey’s Racks in the Middle and while the mids and highs were phenomenal the bass wasn’t quite where I like it for rap and hip hop. That is personal preference to be sure and the noise canceling outweighs the lighter base in my opinion. After being mesmerized by the noise canceling, I toggled in the “aware” mode and it toggled quickly and effectively between the two modes. The aware mode is really nice because the silence can be disorienting a little in certain contexts like walking near a busy roadway. I want to hear the cars! I wanted to find the noisiest place at work to try the noise canceling limits and we have a full size gym with treadmills, tvs and weights clanking. I went at the most busy time and it sounds like a circus. I got on a treadmill and started walking. It was surreal to hear the noise disappear as I put the headphones on. No tv’s, no treadmill motor… I then listened to the quietest thing I listen to which is a science podcast and it was truly amazing and really enjoyable. I could hear the conversation so warm and clear it really added to the enjoyment tremendously. Podcasts are amazing on here!!! This brings me to a feature that is lacking (and maybe not practical ) but it is not sweat or water/splash proof! I have a pair of high-end headphones that are IPX4 which I will have to continue to use for heavy runs outside or stick with powerbeat pros. But like I said earlier…I have different headphones for different jobs. So that’s ok. I wish these did have some protection for sweat though. But the 45’s are more of a lifestyle type job for me. I plan to use them while I work on multimedia and isolation at work, or when I just want to escape and chill out. I also was very impressed with the phone call capability! You won’t miss a beat when someone calls you! Bravo Bose! I really love the 45’s! You can’t go wrong with these world class headphones! I highly recommend.

The last headphones I purchased from Bose was the Soundlink (1st Gen) On Ear wireless. I caught wind of these QC 45’s via email from Best Buy. Sound signature is what comes to mind when I consider looking at Brands take on the audio game. Not an audiophile but a average user who love music to pass through the day. The ANC is incredible on these. Sound is very balanced & rich regardless of volume. These sit on my top tier list next to the Sony XM4’s. Worth the purchase.

I have several over the ear headphones. Many have great audio, but the comfort is where they tend to fall short. With the Bose QuietComfort 45 you will get AMAZING comfort with great audio as well! I have been using these for work and wearing them around 8 hours a day. I have the triple black version. You will see the box for these headphones and wonder if they are really in there. The box is so small! In the box you find the small rectangular case. This will easily fit into a briefcase, backpack, or luggage. In the case you find the headphones, aux cable and USB C charging cable. Mine was 70% charged when I opened the package. You download the Bose app to complete the set up. It was super easy to set up and connect to my Lenovo laptop and Pixel 4a 5G phone. The app is underwhelming. You can control your source connections; Noise cancelling mode (Aware is default) and volume. There is also a Tips option. There is no EQ setting which is a little disappointing. Many like to customize the sound using the EQ. The sound is great regardless of source. I have tried many sources and the sound is very balanced. Not too tinny and not too much bass. The bass is crisp and defined. But honestly, I have many headphones that sound great. The comfort is where there is no equal. My other over the ear headphone can be used for about 4 hours before they start being uncomfortable. I wanted a wireless headset for work connected to my laptop using Bluetooth. I have used these for at least 8 hours a day. 8 hours uses about 30 percent of the battery. I cannot believe how comfortable they are. I think this is because your ear tends to fit inside of the ear cups instead of the ear cups sitting on your ear. WELL DONE BOSE! The microphone works well for Teams calls or cellphone calls. I have had rare situations where people cannot hear me. I am still trying to determine the reason for this. But it is perfect 99% of the time. I disconnect and connect the headphones and this resolved the issue quickly. The controls are straight forward. The power on/off is on the outside of the right headphone (large R and L on the inside of the ear cup BTW). These actions are well described in the TIPS section of the Bose Music app. The left ear has the Action button. The right ear has the volume buttons and control button. In summary, I recommend these Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones. They deserve a 5 out of 5 rating. Everything is exactly as you would want with a minor exception of no EQ. If you like listening for long periods of time; or, using them for your work calls, I am not aware of a more functional and comfortable option. Also, a whole day of use only used about 30 percent to the battery. They are my new number 1 headphones. Nice job Bose!

Most of my reviews tend to be long and wordy with background about why I got them and how they fit into my lifestyle. Not going to beat around the bush this time or dress this review up: the Bose QuietComfort 45 Noise Cancelling headphones are amazing! That’s the bottom line, I love the style, I love the package, and I love the way they perform! Ok, square one is the package which is really classy yet minimalist two piece black cardboard surrounded by the thin cardboard with the picture, name, and info on it. Remove the thin cardboard, lift the top off the black box, and you find a pleather zip-around carry case. Inside the headphones are folded and rotated (the ear cups turn 90 degrees one way and a tiny bit the other to allow for wearing and for fitting into the case). With the headphones you get a USB-C charging cable and an auxiliary cable for wired use with non bluetooth devices and there is a pocket inside the carry case to store both. The insert referred me to download the Bose app which walked me through registering and setting them up. It was fast and easy and while the controls aren’t intuitive out of the box (especially when trying to remember playback vs. phone use which overlap the same buttons at different times) the app walks you through the button use during setup and can be referenced back to at any time via the Tips button. As for the headphones themselves they are soft, squishy, comfortable and have a sound cancellation button on the left and the bluetooth, volume up and down, and a function button on the right with microphones on both. These are called the QuietComfort headphones for good reason: the sound cancellation mode makes everything around you vanish! If you don’t have any audio playing it's almost like a sound deprivation chamber (slightly hyperbolic but not by much, they’re REALLY quiet!) and once your audio is playing its crisp, clear, and as perfect as anything I’ve listened to. The Comfort part of the name comes from the way the headphones hug your head and surround your ears both blocking the sounds from outside without ever pressing on you uncomfortably. Everything I use is bluetooth these days so I can’t speak to if anything changes when going old school aux cable but I can’t imagine it would change the sound quality much if at all. I mentioned the function of these taking some getting used to and honestly I haven’t had as long as I’d like to get super comfortable but I’m getting used to them. With music you can up/down volume with the top and bottom buttons (duh, standard don’t fix what ain’t broke design logic) and the function button in between allows you to skip forward, backward, pause/play depending on how many times you press it. It works once you remember which is two taps and which is three. The left headphone has the noise cancellation button which is cool as it allows you to go from noise cancelling to active mode where you can hear what’s going on around you a little more using the microphones to pipe in some of your surroundings noise without being overwhelming or distracting. I live with kids so both modes are essential depending on what time of day it was and who was home, as I said they block all sound out when activated which is great for watching a movie during the day while my wife is around but could be turned off for naptime or nighttime use when my house is actually quiet for a change. Battery charging is listed as being 2.5 hours in the instructions, I didn’t time it but instead charged them overnight the first night and used them for a few hours over the next couple days without running out of battery but charged them back up again to avoid running out. They’ll be plenty long enough for a commute to school or work and back without any trouble. As an example today I took them from 100% to 90% with only about 75min of use. So the bottom line is these are some really premium headphones that will give excellent audio quality, block out the noise on the bus or let you be aware of your surroundings at the push of a button, last all day, and remain super comfy like a marshmallow around your ears while doing all that! Highly recommended, these are FANTASTIC!!!

Why did I buy the Bose QC45. Comfort and convenience. They are so comfortable period. Convenience, Bluetooth is easy to use, less hassle than wired. Also, USBC, to use one cable for all my devices. Those are the reasons to buy these. The huge compromise, the sound quality. They sound so bad. So bad, so bad. They are so flat, no range, no body, it's a hollow listening experience. These sound sad. I'm sad when I use these for music. Bose Dynamic EQ is a joke. I use wired headphones at home for good sound, headphones like the Sony MDR 1AM2, and the Philips Fidelio X2HR, use a Fiio Q3 Dac/AMP. I don't need the Bose to sound the best because I listen to my best music at home with wires. I need the Bose to be easy to use, wirelessly, when I am not at home, or am not willing to break out wired headphones. I need the Bose to be convenient. And they are, and they are comfortable. What arrogance does Bose have to make these so limited. Give us an ANC off mode, give us a flat EQ, and give us adjustable EQ. These are very easy for Bose to do, but Bose thinks the average consumer isn't worth decency. Bose knows best and gives you no control. I do not know if I will keep these because they sound so bad... If Bose updates those things that many customers are asking for, then most likely. If they do not get updated, I'll love without Bluetooth again, I didn't have wireless headphones for years now, have these a shot. And now I am sad. For reference I am listening to Fishmans, Long Season, as I wrote this, and wondering why my brain hurts and the song sounds so perverted. So dead, so empty, souless, how did Bose make such a beautiful song so bad...